Metal grills, guards, bars, and the like adapted to cover windows or other openings in buildings have gained substantial popularity, particularly in recent years. Such metal grills are often used for their decorative effect and may have elaborate ornamental designs. However, at least in recent times, especially when on the ground floor, window and door grills have been used for security purposes to prevent unauthorized entry into a building through its windows or other openings.
Window grills have been permanently fixed over the particular openings, however, such permanent mounting produces many undesirable results. Most importantly, permanently fixed window grills not only prevent unauthorized entry, but also prevent the occupants of the building from exiting the building through the covered window in an emergency situation. Also permanently fixed window grills make it difficult to reach the covered window from the outside for repairs or cleaning.
Due to the often disastrous consequences of permanently fixing grills over windows, a number of releasing means have been developed to enable a person to release a window grill or the like from inside a building having such grill-covered windows. The earliest releasable grills were mounted along one edge on hinged mounts with the other edge held securely in place with a lockable mount, adapted to be locked with a key or combination lock.
These locked window grills proved inadequate for several reasons. First, where key locks were used, the keys were often misplaced and could not be found in an emergency situation. Second, where combination locks were used, the combinations were easily forgotten or lost. In either type of locking grill, the locks could not be operated by children, either because they could not be reached, or because they required skill and/or strength beyond the capacity of the child.
Other releasing mechanisms were adapted to be operated from inside the building or enclosure. These devices generally used a plurality of releasable mounts and a plurality of hinged mounts adapted so that when the releasable mounts were released, the grill could swing open on the hinged mounts. The releasing mechanisms of the releasable mounts were located outside the building in an armored enclosure and were operated by means of a cable or chain that could be pulled by someone inside of the building.
The prior art releasing mounts, while an improvement over the permanently fixed, or padlocked window grills, still suffered from requiring a relatively large force to operate. The requisite for excessive force generally arose because there was substantial frictional resistance to the releasing movement in these old release mechanisms.
In some cities, the use of window grills is regulated, due to the substantial hazards that they pose with regard to emergency exit. Not only are permanently fixed grills and certain specific release mechanisms prohibited, but some regulations set out broad standards that must be met by all release mechanisms. One such regulation is that the release mechanism must not require both hands for actuation. Also, a minimum actuating force has been established in some communities, and will likely be established in others.
Thus, a need exists for a releasable mounting system for retaining a protective cover over an opening in a wall of a structure that can be released from the inside of the building or enclosure with minimal effort and without special training or knowledge. The present invention satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well.